This sale is for a used Drake R8 communications receiver that is appears to be average in cosmetic condition. The unit has a few marks that are typical with age and use, but nothing really outstanding. Please look closely at our pictures for specific cosmetic detail. The front tilt feet designed for the R8 receiver were not properly considered by RL Drake and are easily broken due to the weight of the receiver and onset of age. A previous owner replaced the weak front feet with sturdy rubber feet.
Operationally, this
receiver was tested and works beautifully with no known issues and with
excellent sensitivity.
This Drake R8 is
supplied with a vast quantity of printed documents:
Let us talk a little
bit about the R8. This receiver was one of RL Drake's last great
offerings to the DXing hobby. The R8 was considered to be a higher
caliber receiver that was introduced in 1991 and was Drake's reintroduction
into the SWLing market from which it had been absent for about a decade.
Through popular demand and by virtue of market analysis, Drake reasoned that
the time was appropriate for jumping back into the market. Drake then
introduced several units over a period of about 9 years and then once
again left the market.
RL Drake no longer
manufactures high end ham and shortwave gear, but their legacy for quality
equipment will live on with the likes of the R8. This receiver has won lots
of recognition from various authorities within the DXing community and
rightfully so...it is one HOT receiver...offering the benefits of high
sensitivity for good DXing. Other features are:
The R8 covers Longwave,
AM, Mediumwave, Marine, Shortwave, Ham, and CB frequencies. An optional
adapter can be purchased to allow the receiver to pick up VHF frequencies and
FM radio.
Currently, the
Drake is configured for AC power here in North America, but can be set for
AC power anywhere in the world. This receiver was tested and works
well across the full range of receiving frequencies. It sat on my
desk using several outside antennas to test performance and reception was
impressive. The internal circuitry was quiet and we were able to listen
to broadcasts that some of my other equipment could not hear on some of the
frequencies that we tested.
One of the outstanding
characteristics of the Drake R8 is the wonderful audio that it can
deliver. Unfortunately the built-in speaker does not allow this audio to
be demonstrated properly. But connection to a good external antenna or to
your home stereo will reward you with audio that you didn't know was possible
with shortwave transmissions. Most manufacturers cheat and put in a weak
audio circuit. RL Drake supplied a nice circuit with their R8 receiver
and many hobbyists consider it to be one of the best receivers for delivering
warm audio using the solid state circuitry.
At this point, you
should get the idea that this R8 is an excellent receiver. It is
sad that RL Drake is no longer manufacturing it as it was an
excellent American product. While some of the parts came from
overseas, this was an American product in a field populated with foreign made
equipment...especially Japanese. We enjoy using foreign made
equipment, but as Americans, we take special pride in something executed well
in the manufacturing and made within our borders. Here are some reviews
from eHam.net that detail the receiver based on use by individual owners.
Please note that these reviews are for both the R8 and R8B:
https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3698 (copy and paste in your browser window)
This Drake R8 comes
from a smoke free and pet free environment. You will have no surprises
nor bad odors. If you don't think that cigarette smoke can make a
difference, you have not operated equipment that warms up and wafts the essence
of this smoke in the air when you are trying to enjoy listening!
We love
these radios and know a bit of information that may
answer a question you may have so feel free to email any
questions and we will do our best to assist you with them. Usually most
questions surface with regards to price quotes on shipping. If
living in the USA, you may use the shipping calculator to determine your costs
to safely ship. This cost includes cost of appropriate packing
materials, shipping cost, and full insurance.
We sell many of our items outside the USA so foreign buyers are welcome and should be comforted in our experience with proper packing and shipping. During the past 24 years on Ebay, we have shipped directly to 111 different countries. If you live outside the USA, you may use the shipping calculator.
We ask you to keep in mind that the cost
we provide to ship outside the USA may not include any import, duty, customs
or VAT fees. These charges, if any, will be your responsibility. If
you are not aware of what these charges may be, please contact your country's
customs office and post office....thank you!
Thank you for taking
the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay listings!
History: (Note....asterisks are added to allow me to
give historical detail about other makes and models and still be in compliance
with Ebay's listing policies regarding keyword spamming)
The R.L. Drake Company
was established in 1943 during the height of WW II and proved to be an
innovative leader in the engineering and design of amateur and shortwave radio
products. Mr. Robert Drake produced a unique amateur radio sideband receiver
and took the plans to Hallicrafters and National Radio. When these firms showed
no interest in his design and product, he built the radio under his own
name. The first order for 100 units was placed by Universal Services, now
known far and wide as Universal Radio. Thus, the R.L. Drake Company had a
very modest beginning, but eventually their product line grew wider as they
showed a knack for great designs.
The Drake Company
discontinued their line of amateur and shortwave radios in the early 1980's
when Japan flooded the market with portable units that had digital readouts
(ICF*2001 and ICF*2010 to name a couple) and concentrated on the home satellite
market. However, the hunger for sturdy, well-designed amateur and
shortwave equipment never went away and Drake once again entered back into the
market in 1991 with the announcement of the R8 receiver. The success of
this unit was then followed by the SW8 and then upgrades to the R8 with the
R8*A and R8*B. Drake has since left the shortwave and amateur radio
market and the products that they labored to manufacture stand as a testimony
to the wonderful testimony to the quality of many American made products!